Penangite Chinese
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
671,300 41.5% of Penang's total population in 2010 |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Penang Island : George Town Seberang Perai : Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam |
|
| Languages | |
|
Penang Hokkien (lingua franca), Mandarin, Malay (national language), English, Manglish (creole) Other dialects : Cantonese, Teochew, Hakka, Tamil |
|
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Buddhism and/or Taoism, with a significant number of Christians. Minority : Islam, Hinduism |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Peranakan, Chindian, Malaysian Chinese, Singaporean Chinese, Chinese Indonesians, Overseas Chinese |
Penangite Chinese are Malaysians of full or partial Chinese ancestry who either hail from or live within the state of Penang. As of 2010, between 41% to 42% of Penang's population were of Chinese ethnicity, making them one of the two largest ethnic communities in the state.
Most are the descendants of labourers and immigrants from southern China who moved to the Malay Peninsula between the 18th and 20th centuries. By the mid-19th century, George Town was home to a significant Peranakan community of mixed Sino-Malay ancestry, also known as the King's Chinese due to their loyalty to the British crown. Under British colonial rule, Penang continued to experience increasing Chinese immigration throughout the 19th century. As most Chinese in Penang came from Fujian Province, home to the Hokkien dialect, Penang Hokkien was gradually developed and is now widely used by Penangites for daily communication.
Penang's Chinese have been well-represented within Malaysia and also internationally in various professional, political, economic and other fields. To date, Penang is the only state in Malaysia where the position of the Chief Minister, who leads the state government, has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since independence. Renowned figures, including Jimmy Choo and Nicol David, hailed from Penang and have contributed greatly in raising the country's profile internationally.
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Wikipedia